The Best Hot Springs & Baths in Iceland

Geothermal water

Iceland heats its houses and its pools with water from the ground, and bathing outdoors in warm water is an everyday habit, in every town and in any weather. The lagoons that visitors know grew out of that habit. They are large open-air pools of geothermal water at about body temperature or a little above, usually with a bar that serves drinks to people standing in the water.

The lagoons

Each one uses its landscape differently. The Blue Lagoon lies in a black lava field near the airport, and its water is milky blue from silica, which bathers also wear as a face mask. Sky Lagoon, on the coast by Reykjavik, is cut into dark rock and ends in an edge facing the ocean; its ritual leads through a cold pool, a sauna with one large window on the sea, a cold mist and a scrub. Hvammsvik, on Hvalfjörður, has stone pools on the shore, and the lowest one fills with seawater at high tide. Forest Lagoon sits among trees above Akureyri in the north. At Vök Baths in the east the pools float on a lake, with ladders into the cold water.

The shower rule

One rule applies everywhere in Iceland: wash thoroughly without swimwear in the showers before entering the water. The rule is posted in the changing rooms and taken seriously.